


a long road to wisdom.

by sleepyboys



Series: the big parade [2]
Category: G.I. Joe - All Media Types, G.I. Joe: Retaliation (2013), G.I. Joe: Rise of Cobra (2009), Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: Angst, Fluff, M/M, also, i don't know what i'm doing i rly don't, i guess
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-06
Updated: 2014-08-06
Packaged: 2018-02-12 00:31:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,562
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2088888
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sleepyboys/pseuds/sleepyboys
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tiny, little baby steps is what Storm Shadow does best.</p>
            </blockquote>





	a long road to wisdom.

**Author's Note:**

> i rly don't know, i'm sorry. this is a very general thing that should have been longer, by all rights, but i suck. maybe they will talk about all of storm shadow's issues some other time, i just felt like writing this.

1

The last thing Glenn hears before everything goes positively to hell, is Storm Shadow screaming, and then, everything is black.

 

 

2

He wakes up in medical, because _of course_ he does. He’s got no idea how he got here, though, and looks at Daryl—who has bags under his eyes, and looks tired beyond his years. He’s probably been by Glenn’s bed ever since he got here—to ask for answers.

Daryl offers him a glass of water before doing anything, and Glenn gladly accepts it, gulping it down along with his painkillers.

“Your cover got blown,” Daryl explains, plopping down next to Glenn’s side. “But we still don’t know how the hell they knew where you were—“ he says, with a tone that can only mean one thing: they’re suspecting Storm Shadow of treason, yet again (Glenn wishes suspecting Storm Shadow of treason wasn’t so common)

From a completely objective point of view, knowing what the Joes know, it is the most obvious thing for someone like Storm Shadow—someone who knows what is good for him, who knows when to go over to the winning side—to do. Glenn knows him better, and of course, trusts him more than most of the Joes, so he knows that was not the case.

“It wasn’t him” Glenn says quickly. “Come on, Daryl, you know—“

“What I know doesn’t matter, Glenn” Daryl says sternly, and sighs. “The higher-ups are not going to look upon this with good eyes. They’re going to want answers and someone’s head, because _this_ can’t happen again. Less of all it if was Cobra's work.”

No one takes Cobra’s menace lightly anymore, and since Storm Shadow used to collaborate with Cobra, the higher-ups have even more reason to suspect him.

“I’m completely fine—“

“But what if that hadn’t been the case, Glenn?” Daryl retorts.

Glenn doesn’t know, he knows that, realistically, as Joes, any of them could die at any moment on the field. But right now, Glenn doesn’t want to think about it, because thinking about the possibility of Storm Shadow betraying them—betraying him, leading him to his death--is enough to drive him crazy.

Daryl seems to notice, and sighs once again. “Sleep. Just—sleep,” he says. “We can talk later.”

 

 

3

It isn’t long before Glenn is awoken due to a loud noise. He struggles to open his eyes for a few seconds, before he identifies the silhouette of whoever is making all that noise—it’s Storm Shadow, and he’s using crutches to help him walk, and he is obviously not used to them, because not only is he being loud, he also looks awkward, like he’d rather limp and hurt than keep using them for another second, and Glenn would laugh if it didn’t hurt. He’s trying to walk to Glenn’s side as quickly and quiet as possible, but is obviously failing, and Glenn wouldn’t call what he is doing walking, really, it’s more around the lines of dragging his body.

Daryl told him he broke some ribs, almost opened his head, and of course, passed out for a while, but that out of the two, Storm Shadow had taken most of the bomb’s damage—or whatever that hurt them was—for him and the result hadn’t been pretty: a broken leg, some broken ribs and multiple wounds all over his body.

“When we found you,” Daryl told him, trying to make Glenn go to sleep by talking to him about anything. “He was on top of you. It seems he used his body to shield you from the worst.”

Glenn doesn’t mention it, though, he simply smiles at Thomas, who doesn’t return the smile, but there is something in his eyes that looks like relief, and he seems to relax once Glenn sits up to greet him.

“Hey,” Glenn says. Thomas nods, tight and controlled. “That was _something_ , wasn’t it?” he lets out an awkward laugh.

Thomas doesn’t laugh, but he rarely ever does. “If you can call a near-death experience _something_ , then, yes. It was.” he mutters, and isn’t particularly subtle when he gives Glenn a once-over, and his eyes linger  a little too long on Glenn’s stitches on his right arm and on the cut near Glenn’s brow. He looks like he feels guilty, and for some reason, Glenn’s heart aches at the thought of him, of all people, ever making Thomas feel like that.

Thomas, who was abandoned by his own family when they mistakenly believed he had betrayed them. Thomas, who probably spent years and years blaming himself for not being good enough, for not being as capable as Snake Eyes, even though he is. Thomas who looks sad and guilty and confused as he stands in front of Glenn, holding onto his crutches tightly. Even though he did all he could and Glenn isn’t dead—but Thomas looks as if Glenn had, indeed, just died, and instead of looking down at Glenn on a hospital bed he’s looking down at the hole where Glenn will be buried.

“It wasn’t your fault,” Glenn says, softly and smiling at Thomas once again. He needs to hear this, whether he likes it or not. “It was…an unfortunate incident, but it wasn’t your fault.”

Thomas listens, but doesn’t seem to understand. “You are the only one who thinks that.” it’s not a question, and it makes the air between them feel heavy and awkward once again, with the implication of that sentence: in the others’ eyes, Storm Shadow is still someone who is not to be trusted.

“I’m not” Glenn says, licking his lips, and reaching for the glass of water Daryl made sure to leave by his bed. “And you know that, you just want to angst over nothing.”

Thomas doesn’t take kindly to the comment. “This isn’t _nothing_ ,” he says severely, his knuckles turning white because he’s holding his crutches too tight.

Glenn knows, but he doesn’t like Thomas feeling like he should be apologizing for something he had no control over whatsoever.

There is a long, awkward pause before Glenn decides to break it. “How are you even up,” he says dreadfully, and with a tint of jealousy to his voice. “Freaking ninjas”

Thomas doesn’t laugh, again, but he plops down next to Glenn and runs his hand through Glenn’s hair, until Glenn falls asleep.

 

 

4

It’s weeks before Glenn can be released from the hospital, under the premise that he will come back for check-ups and won’t do anything stupid that could cause for his stitches to open, or for his wounds to take longer than they should to heal properly. Simple enough instructions he should have no trouble following unless he and Amy get up to something.

Storm Shadow walked out without anyone’s permission, and despite Jinx’s numerous attempts to convince him it was in his best interests to keep using the crutches and remain at the hospital, he apparently decided that enough was enough. Glenn would say something to him, because he is worried about Thomas, but Thomas is an adult and knows what is and isn’t good enough for him, and Glenn isn’t going to hound him like some mother hen, mainly because that isn’t like them at all.

Flint is careful to not tackle-hug him as soon as Glenn walks into the strategic-planning room, but it takes a lot from him to not just wrestle Glenn to the ground.

“Glenn! It’s you! You’re fine!” Flint screams as he hugs Glenn, careful to not press against him too tightly. “I was about to kick your boyfriend’s ass.”

“Thanks, Flint. Not for the ass-kicking offer, though.” Glenn replies, smiling fondly. “You know it wasn’t his fault.”

“None of us really know anything,” Flint says. “The boss thought it’d be safer for none of us to know, you know, in case the feds came sniffing around and asked questions.”

So an investigation is being carried out, and Storm Shadow probably knew beforehand, but didn’t bother tell Glenn.

“But, hey, I don’t doubt any of you,” Flint offers once he notices Glenn’s worried look, interrupting Glenn’s thoughts. “I know Storm Shadow is an asshole, but I don’t think him capable of hurting you.”

“He isn’t,” Glenn comments.

“He better not be, if he knows what’s good for him.” Flint says and smiles brightly at Glenn. “All in all, I’m truly glad you’re okay. Communication was cut-off so suddenly, we didn’t know until days ago that both of you had made it out alive.”

Glenn remembers nothing about the mission, only the basics, that means, some information-retrieving mission where Glenn was supposed to monitor over Storm Shadow, the way it always is. Until the explosion, or whatever happened that was so bad it made him pass out. If communication was cut-out, that means not even Flint or General Roadblock, for that matter, know about whatever happened.

Glenn tries not to think about it as Flint talks to him about everything that’s been happening while he wasn’t there.

 

 

5

His personal training room resembles the one at the Arashikage clan’s main headquarters. Some would call it nostalgia or missing something that was never his to begin with, but Thomas calls it not knowing any better.

It’s not like he can really do anything without risking for his wounds to open, or risking breaking his leg yet again, but he finds calm in this room, a calm he thought he had lost years ago, until he changed allegiances and met Glenn.

Glenn, whom Thomas swore to protect because he didn’t want to lose anyone else, not anymore. Glenn who was hurt because of some stupid mistake. Glenn who is going to be scrutinized as a traitor the way Thomas has always been, despite both of them having nothing to do with the incident. Glenn shouldn’t suffer the consequences of loving someone as Thomas—that is, broken and with too many scars that never healed completely—but sticks by his side because he _cares_. A foreign enough concept for him, given no one has given a damn about him in what feels like forever.

He hears steps behind him, and immediately identifies them as Snake Eyes’, but he doesn’t turn around to face him. “I will not go back to the hospital, and if you think you can force me—“ but Snake Eyes shakes his head, and though that is an understandable enough gesture coming from Snake Eyes, Thomas doesn’t know what Snake Eyes pretends by coming here. 

“Why are you here?” Thomas asks, and finally turns around to face Snake Eyes, who shrugs. “Has Glenn been released from the hospital as well?” Snake Eyes nods.

“Good, now make way, because I don’t pretend to stay here with you.” Thomas says and Snake Eyes moves, then starts following him, knowing perfectly well where Thomas is going.

 

 

6

Glenn doesn’t need to turn around to know those aren’t Flint’s steps. The smile drops off his face when he hears a second set of steps. Great, now they’re going to do the whole emotions thing in front of Snake-fucking-Eyes. Just great.

He finally turns around, and, yeah, there are Tommy and Snake Eyes. “Hey,” he says. “Um, you look good. Is your leg healed?”

Tommy looks a bit taken aback by the question, but still replies. “Yeah—I heard you got out of the hospital today and I—um, wanted to check on you.”

In the corner, he can almost see Snake Eyes tilting his head to the side. Glenn clears his throat. “Um, Snake Eyes, buddy?” Snake Eyes nods at the mention of his name-slash-codename. Glenn is not sure he’d use Snake Eyes’ name even if he knew it. “Can we have a moment?” he asks, and it takes a while for Snake Eyes to turn around and leave them alone, just when Flint is coming back with lunch.

“What—“ is all Flint gets to ask before Snake Eyes takes his arm and drags him out of the room.

Glenn clears his throat, again. “As you can see, I’m good! No broken bones! Still alive!” he crosses his arms in front of his chest, and that makes Thomas stop in his tracks. “Only someone forgot to mention he’s being investigated under suspicion of national treason. Holy national treason, Batman!”

Thomas has the decency to look guilty. A little bit. “About that—“

“Please don’t say some bullshit like I wasn’t going to tell you because I didn’t want you to worry, because I swear to god I’ll break your other leg” Glenn sighs, because that is probably what Thomas was about to say. “Look, I don’t know if I have any right to demand complete and utter trust just yet—“

“You have. You can. I trust you, despite common belief.” Thomas interrupts, and he sounds like Glenn just kicked his puppy or something of the sort and it’s almost enough for Glenn to let this go and kiss Thomas breathless—but not yet.

“—well, thank you. In that case, why don’t you tell me this kind of stuff? I mean,” Glenn explains. “I’m not asking you to tell me about every little thing, but this is important stuff. I’d like to know if my boyfriend is a suspect on something or being chased down by assassins or got into an accident.”

Thomas sighs. “I was planning to tell you, _eventually_ , it’s just—“

“It’s just, what, Thomas?” Glenn demands, frustrated. “I don’t like being left in the dark when it comes to the people I care for. Or will you only tell me when your body is cold and ten feet under the ground?” he doesn’t mean to be quite so harsh, but with Thomas, sometimes, he has to be, to get it through that thick head of his. Ninjas, Glenn swears to god.

“I don’t want you to leave like everyone else does,” Thomas says, but he’s not looking at Glenn in the eyes. He still has a hard time with this kind of thing, and Glenn understands, but sometimes it’s unnerving at best, and according to Daryl an alarming sign that Storm Shadow may or may not be a sociopath, very good at faking emotions only when he doesn’t look at people in the eyes. “Everyone else thinks me capable of hurting the people I love and more—I thought that if I told you, you would just up and leave and not let me explain”

“Well,” Glenn retorts. Thomas’ point is fair enough. No one trusts him enough. Not even Jinx or Snake Eyes. “Someone else told me and I didn’t up and leave, did I?” the _I would never_ goes unspoken, because Glenn hopes Thomas can get it.

Unless he really is _that_ obtuse.

Thomas nods and grins, though it fades quickly. “Dixon.” he whispers and Glenn can almost hear the murderous rage in his voice, but decides to ignore it in favor of kissing Thomas. Not breathless. Not yet.

 

 

7

“You technically didn’t talk about his _huge_ trust issues,” Daryl says while they watch Sleepless in Seattle for what must be the hundredth time. Glenn is fond of Hanks’ acting in this one, and Daryl will watch just about anything with the right amount of alcohol in his system.

“Don’t push it” Glenn replies, just as Daryl nods and says. “Baby steps, got it”

Tiny, little baby steps.

**Author's Note:**

> thank you for taking the time to read! feedback is welcomed, and appreciated


End file.
